What do you define as happiness? My thoughts are contentment and a peaceful heart.
Think back to when you were having a special moment of happiness. You may remember the feelings of joyfulness with the thought that you would never stop feeling this way. As time goes on those feelings begin to fade, but the memory is still there and still brings us joy. Living in our day to day world we have times when things are not going as they should or we thought they should and it upsets our peaceful state of mind. Finding a moment of peace can help to cope with those feelings.
We all go through rough times. There are times that we don’t feel happy or something has happened that disturbs our world, but overall, we are happy with what we have in our lives and most importantly, the people around us. It is at those times that friends showing up help us to cope. You realize that you would not have accomplished what you did had it not been for them. We are truly content and have a peaceful heart.
Another thing we can do to help us feel better and cope with stress is to exercise. If you exercise you know how you feel afterwards. This is from a release of a neurotransmitter called endorphins that make you feel better.
On top of feeling better you have other benefits such as:
Lower blood pressure
A stronger heart
Stronger bones
Stronger muscles
Weight control
Decreased stress levels
Exercise can reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 40-50%.
There are many types of exercise. Indoor activities are available in gyms and in recreation centers. This can be using a treadmill or other exercise equipment or it could mean taking a dance or aerobics class. It could also be going out on the gym floor to shoot basketball.
Some other exercises available are:
Yoga
Swimming
Tennis
Cycling
Walking
Horseback riding
Doing the activity that you like to do, will make you more apt to continue it over time.
As we feel better, our thoughts become happier, more peaceful and we can find joy. If you are worried about something, do your best to exercise and remember this quote: Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace.
Grace graduated in 1993 from UT Southwestern Medical Center Allied Health Sciences School with a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition. A few years later she concentrated her efforts in diabetes and became a certified diabetes care and education specialist. During her career she has worked as a registered dietitian nutritionist in long-term care, renal dialysis, home health, and diabetes outpatient care. Currently self-employed, she specializes in wellness and diabetes. Grace is a member of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists. Grace now writes nutrition content for websites using her education, current research, and 29 years of experience.